Warlocks and Rapid Shot, And Gear Questions

[Matdeception]

Curious question, can a Warlock take advantage of the Rapid Shot and fire off 2 Eldritch Blasts?

On to the other matter, I'm looking around for gear that would be useful for a Hellfire Warlock. A general list would be awesome, and yes I know about the Chausable of Felpower, I'm looking more into rings/cloaks/belts/armor/helmets and the like.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Nifft]

Standard actions are not attack actions. A Warlock can take advantage of Rapid Shot if he uses a bow -- but not with his blast.

Part 2: a Wand of Lesser Restoration.

Cheers, -- N

 

[irdeggman]

No.

Invocations are spell like abilities, they are not weapons. They take a standard action to use (unless otherwise specified).

Rapid Shot only works with a full attack action, since it gives an extra attack. For comparison would a wizard be able to use rapid shot with a ray spell?

In order to get extra invocations in a round the warlock must take the quicken spell like ability feat (which he is eligible for) (CA pg 7)

 

[Archimedes314]

Curious question, can a Warlock take advantage of the Rapid Shot and fire off 2 Eldritch Blasts?

On to the other matter, I'm looking around for gear that would be useful for a Hellfire Warlock. A general list would be awesome, and yes I know about the Chausable of Felpower, I'm looking more into rings/cloaks/belts/armor/helmets and the like.

Thanks in advance.

Well, in addition to gear there are a few ways to pimp yo' hellfire warlock (though some of them are in rather obscure splatbooks, and thus your DM might not allow them because he doesn't have the book), and if you use any of them it might influence your gear selection. The first thing is the eldritch glaive invocation (found in the Dragon Magic), which allows you to take a full-round action to shape you eldritch blast into a reach weapon and make a full-attack with it. Plus it lasts for the whole round so you can make attacks of opportunity with it. Problem is you have to be in melee, so you'll want to jack your AC more than an average Warlock. There are also two ways to get around the ability damage. Taking the feat Shape Souldmeld (Strongheart Vest) (from Magic of Incarnum) will neutralize the ability damage, and taking a level of binder (from Tome of Magic) and binding the Naberius vestige will allow you to heal 1 point of ability damage and drain each round. Finally, bloodline levels and levels in the Legacy Champion prestige class (from weapons of legacy) will stack with hellfire warlock levels for the progression of their extra eldritch blast damage.

In general though, warlocks are great with UMD (they get to take ten, and they can use it to create items), so stock up on wands and staves. It will improve your versatility greatly, and any party can use a back-up healer.

 

[Matdeception]

NEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES BELOW!

Question concerning Hellfire Sheild. While I was re-reading the ability, I got to wondering about some missing specifics concerning it. First, what's the duration? Second, if a melee attack allows me to shoot off a Hellfire Blast, does this mean it's a 'One melee hit, sheild gone' type of thing?

Or, does it mean with Hellfire Sheild in effect, every melee hit allows me to shoot a Hellfire Blast in return (Taking 1 point of con damage each blast I 'choose' to fire back)?

Another question I have is concerning Eldritch Doom. Now, I had always assumed back when I first read the ability that Eldritch Doom operated under similar mechanics to Fireball. I.E. you pick a spot, cast the Invocation, and that's where the doom goes off. More interesting since you get to choose who gets hit, so it's safe to fire into a group of friends/ect.

However, I recently read another players belief that Eldritch Doom is nothing more then a Point Blank AE centered on yourself. Could I get some opinions on this ability? Thanks much.

If it really is just a point blank AE, I'd never touch the stupid thing. There's other, more promising Dark Invocations I could take that doesn't put me right dab where I don't want to be - Melee range.

LAST QUESTION: When using Hellfire Blast, are you still able to add Essence/Shapes? It doesn't say yes or no in the Fiendish Codex.

To Nifft:

Thanks for the clarification, it makes sense.

As for the wand, well, see below to Archimendes314's reply section.

To Irdeggman:

Quicken Spell-like Ability? Page 303 of the Monstrous Manual, and it's pure win! Thanks for pointing it out. Now another question, say I take this for Eldritch Blast, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that while I could technically fire 2 Eldritch blasts a round, I couldn't use it to cast 2 Invocations, right?

The feat explains that we have to choose a spell like ability, which I'd of course take Eldritch Blast first, that would benefit from this effect. So if I wanted to use something else, like, Wall of Perilous Flame, I'd actually have to take the feat again and specify it to that effect?

To Archimendes314:

I knew about the Soulmend and the Prestige class dip for the con ability reduction, I didn't want to mention it since I'm under the impression there have been serious forum wars over the validity of using Stoneheart Vest. While everyone agrees about the Binder route, not everyone agrees about the Stoneheart Vest.

Anyway, I'm 100% sure I'll get away with the Stoneheart Vest. Our DM is a bit of a rules monger, in that he takes them rather literally for the most part.

And yes, UMD is the route I'm going to take to open up Versatility. Since I have the con damage 'taken care of' I decided not to buy a wand of restoration.

-------

I'll post my current character, understand that my DM is very gracious with his character Generation Methods (Almost to Absurdity) but he counters it by giving our enemies the exact same bonus.

Dice Method - 5d6, Reroll Ones, take Highest 3 (Like I said, very gracious)
Max Hitpoints at ALL levels (Monsters get this as well)

I'm currently planning my character's level progression out, but at the moment we are only 5th level. Here's what I had planned so far on the character all the way to level 12

Ability Scores (Ability scores increases 4, 8, and 12 already factored in)
Str: 12
Dex: 18
Con: 16
Int: 14
Wis: 14
Cha: 20

Feats:
Human: Wild Talent (Required for Psionic Shot/Meditation)
1st: Point Blank Shot (Required Psionic Shot/Meditation)
3rd: Psionic Shot (Additional 2d6 Damage at expense of Psionic Focus)
6th: Psionic Meditation (Can gain Psionic Focus as a move action instead of Standard)
9th: Soulmend: Stoneheart Vest
12: Undecided, probably Quicken Spell like ability, however.

Invocations:
(Least)
Entropic Warding
See the Unseen
Eldritch Glaive

(Lesser)
Eldritch Chain
Brimstone Blast (Required until after Hellfire Warlock PrC is finished) Voracious Dispelling will replace
Fell Flight OR Flee the Scene, not sure just yet.

(Greater)
Chilling Tentacles or Wall of Perilous Flames for battlefield control, not sure which just yet.

Any suggestions to this would be greatly appreciated. I'm tempted, oh so tempted, to drop the Psionic crap and pick up feats like Ability Focus and Extra Invocations, but I'm not sure just yet. I'd like your opinion on it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nifft]

1/ Strongheart Vest isn't a useful counter for the Hellfire Warlock, because it prevents ability damage.

2/ Drop the Psionics. It's not worth four feats, nor the loss of your Move action every round.

3/ Go here and read up on the standard Hellfire Warlock builds.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Matdeception]

To Nifft

1: I believe that is in essence the whole argument behind Strongheart Vest. Hellfire stipulates that if you have no con or are some how Immune to constitution damage you can't use the ability.

You aren't immune with Strongheart Vest, you effectively get a 1/- Ability damage reduction. In comparison, does 10 Resistance to Fire make you Immune to fire damage? No, it doesn't.

Still, I have to agree that the Strongheart Vest option goes against the *Spirit* of the rules when it comes to Hellfire Warlocks, even if it doesn't violate the RAW.

The Binder option works for both the Spirit and RAW, but that pesky limitation of Drow (Half Drow included) Only makes it a pain in the ass.

Again, if my DM wasn't a stickler for rules, and a person who actually spends time coming up with crack characters (I remember a Psion he made that could do over 120 points of damage per round if some one failed a Will Save at real low levels) I wouldn't even consider the Strongheart Vest option.

2. I suppose you're right, 2d6 for 4 Feats does seem absurd.

3. Oooh, thank you kindly! Shame the server is down for maitenence, but I'll look at it when I get a chance.

 

[irdeggman]

NEW QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES BELOW!
To Irdeggman:

Quicken Spell-like Ability? Page 303 of the Monstrous Manual, and it's pure win! Thanks for pointing it out. Now another question, say I take this for Eldritch Blast, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that while I could technically fire 2 Eldritch blasts a round, I couldn't use it to cast 2 Invocations, right?

The feat explains that we have to choose a spell like ability, which I'd of course take Eldritch Blast first, that would benefit from this effect. So if I wanted to use something else, like, Wall of Perilous Flame, I'd actually have to take the feat again and specify it to that effect?

No you wouldn't.

You get to use the spell-like ability as a swift action (new term for "quickened effects", which frees you up for a standard action (which can be used for any standard action).

So you can use a quickened EB (note that all essences and shapes added are included - so it can be any type of EB)

Using a quickened spell-like ability is a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The creature can perform another action—including the use of another spell-like ability—in the same round that it uses a quickened spell-like ability. The creature may use only one quickened spell-like ability per round.

 

[Matdeception]

To Irdeggman

Er, you sure?

"Choose one of the creatures spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions below. That creature can use that ability three times per day. (or less, if the ability is only useable once or twice per day)."

That paragraph, first under the 'Benefit Section' on page 304 gives me pause. It reads as if it only works for one ability that you choose upon taking the feat.

 

[Nifft]

To Irdeggman

Er, you sure?

"Choose one of the creatures spell-like abilities, subject to the restrictions below. That creature can use that ability three times per day. (or less, if the ability is only useable once or twice per day)."

That paragraph, first under the 'Benefit Section' on page 304 gives me pause. It reads as if it only works for one ability that you choose upon taking the feat.

My reading of this feat agrees with yours -- you may choose one SLA when you take the feat, and you may use the feat with that one SLA, up to thrice per day.

Cheers, -- N